[QuadList] OT: 1" Type-B format question

[Don Norwood]

Hi Dennis:

I believe the diagram is correct, and I now think that the illustration does 
match the top and bottom orientation of the tape as it comes off of the 
supply reel.  However, I had the same thought that you did....that the 
location of the control track seemed less than ideal.

This all started when I received what was said to be a Type-A tape to 
transfer.  Loading it on the machine revealed that audio on Ch1 was OK, but 
there was no video.  A check of RF showed nothing, and a further check 
showed that the control track appeared to be time code!  Loading it on a 
Type-C machine further confirmed the location of the tracks.  The speed was 
correct, but none of the tracks appeared to be arranged as they should be 
for 1" Type-A, B, or C although the tape was recorded in '78, so it could 
have been any of the 3 formats

Turns out that the tape had previously been sent to another company for 
transfer and they had determined that it wasn't Type-C, and so assumed that 
it was Type-A.  What I believe happened at some point, was that the tape 
which is apparently Type-B, was rewound onto the reel with an A-wind instead 
of the B-wind that is normal for Type-B tapes.  That obviously resulted in 
the tape being flipped vertically, and so all of the tracks were "upside 
down" from what I expected to see, and didn't match any format that I knew 
of.  Reloading it on the reel with a B-wind puts everything where it should 
be for Type-B.

It did surprise me that neither the Type-A or Type-C machines could "see" 
any RF at all.  I realize that the track alignment is drastically different 
and it would never "work", but I expected some sort of jumbled RF envelope 
to appear.  It didn't.

Don Norwood
Digitrak Communications, Inc.
www.digitrakcom.com

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Dennis Degan" >
> On Mar 31, 2012, at 9:53 PM, Don Norwood wrote:
>
> > Can someone confirm that on the diagram below, the lower edge of
> the tape is as shown, in other words, Audio 3 is located at the bottom 
> edge of the tape as it comes off of the supply reel?  Thanks!
>
> I can't answer your question, but if the diagram is correct, it  looks 
> like they put the CT BETWEEN the two audio channels.  That's nuts.
>